Railway systems commonly seat a metal rail upon a concrete rail tie via the use of a rail pad. There is a well-known problem of abrasion that can occur between a rail pad and a concrete rail tie.
Generally, a rail pad deflects vertically and horizontally in a cyclic fashion under the loads imposed by the wheels of passing trains. The cyclical loads imposed upon the rail pad create relatively short-term vertical load pulses that cause the face of the rail pad to oscillate on the concrete tie. Deterioration of the rail pad and erosion of the concrete rail tie can occur. It is known to use a protective member or sheet located between the rail pad and the concrete rail tie to prevent deterioration. The rail pad and the protective sheet can be considered to be the major parts of a rail pad assembly. However, the handling of the various components of a rail pad assembly is often labor intensive and/or otherwise problematic.